Tech firms build ethical safeguards in AI products, seek regulatory support

*As the new technologies ecosystem undergoes rapid global expansion with no definitive regulatory frameworks,  several Indian Information Technology firms have begun to intensify efforts at building ‘ethical safeguards’ in Artificial Intelligence products for consumers

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

As the new-fangled, emerging technologies sector undergoes rapid expansion globally’, Indian Information Technology (IT) firms, including Wipro, Genpact and Tech Mahindra, are following suit by trying to build ethical safeguards in Artificial Intelligence (AI) products.

ConsumerConnect learnt the IT firms have decided to evolve some AI ethical safeguards in products on their own, as the country reportedly lacks any regulatory frameworks around AI as of now.

Genpact, one of the leading tech companies, is applying an ‘output robustness test’ to ensure its AI-generated output complies with fairness and legal frameworks, ETtech report said.

Likewise, Wipro is reported to have adopted a ‘privacy and equity by design’ approach and looks out for possible bias not only in preparing datasets but at further points in the AI lifecycle.

Meanwhile, Tech Mahindra is using tools to identify bias and ensure fairness by continuous monitoring of AI performance and explaining its models with a ‘human-in-the-loop’ approach.

Speaking on the initiative to evolve ethical safeguards on AI products for consumers, Ivana Bartoletti, Global Chief Privacy Officer of Wipro Limited, said: “We would definitely be able to ensure our clients can demonstrate what due diligence has gone into the systems we deploy for them and would certainly consider and collaborate with an industry kitemark to build trust in technology and AI.”

Efforts at adopting AI safeguards for consumers

It is also recalled that in terms of AI policy measures seven global IT companies, including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI, July 2023, signed an agreement with the United States (US) administration under President Joe Biden to voluntarily adopt safeguards.

Similarly, at the recent G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, flagged the need for global efforts at ensuring ethical AI usage and tackling the problem of algorithmic biases in the digital ecosystem.